Organisation unifying the entirety of Indian Central Government Employees and Workers on a single platform of struggle and advance.

Saturday, September 29, 2018

Press Release on Nationwide General Strike on 8th & 9th January 2019

Press Release

28/09/2018

Central Trade Unions call for

Nationwide General Strike on 8th and 9th January
2019

National Convention
of Workers decides to go for Nationwide General Strike on 8-9 January 2019
against the anti-people, anti-worker, anti-national policies of the BJP-led NDA
Government.

The National Convention of Workers
held today, the 28th September 2018, in Mavlankar Hall, New
Delhi, decided to go for two days’ Nationwide General Strike on 8-9 January
2019 against the anti-people, anti-worker, anti-national policies of the
BJP-led NDA Government.

The convention was jointly called by the ten Central Trade
Unions (INTUC, AITUC, HMS, CITU, AIUTUC,TUCC, AICCTU, SEWA, LPF, UTUC), in
association with all independent National Federations of Workers and Employees,
of both Industrial and Service sectors, Central Government and State Government
employees, including Railways, Defense, Health, Education, Water, Post, Scheme
Workers etc; in the public sector undertaking such as Banks, Insurance,
Telecom, Oil, Coal, Public Transport etc, Factories, and from the unorganised
sectors-Construction, Beedi, Street vendors, Domestic Workers, Migrant Workers,
Scheme workers, Home based workers, rickshaw, auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers,
agricultural workers etc., expresses serious concern over the deteriorating
situation in the national economy due to the pro- corporate, anti-national and anti-people
policies pursued by the Central Government and some of the States ruled by the
BJP, grievously impacting the livelihood of the working people across the
country.

The Convention noted with utter
dismay that the Government has been continuing to arrogantly ignore the 12
point Charter of Demands on minimum wage, universal social security, workers’
status and including pay and facilities for the scheme workers, against
privatization of public and government sector including financial sectors and
mass scale contractorisation, ratification of ILO Convention 87, 98 etc. being
jointly pursued by the entire trade union movement of the country. The ILO
Convention 177 on Home Work and 189 on Domestic Work are also yet not ratified.

The Convention expressed its
grave concern on scraping of hard-won 44 Central Labour Laws and replacing them
with 4 employer-friendly Labour Codes and introduction of Fixed Term Employment
through executive order. The Convention also expressed its anguish over New
Pension Scheme and demand restoration of the old Pension Scheme. The Convention
expresses solidarity with the fighting farmers and the Transport Workers of
Rajasthan who are on an indefinite strike since 16th September,
2018.

This National Convention of
Workers recorded its strong denunciation against the communal and divisive
machinations on the society being carried on with the active patronage of the
Government machinery. The BJP Governments are using draconian UAPA, NSA as well
as the agencies of CBI, NIA, IT to harass and suppress any dissenting opinions.
The peace loving secular people in the country are facing a stark
situation of terror and insecurity all around. Working Class will raise its
strong voice of protest.

In order to serve the interests
of the multinational companies with Indian corporate, the present Government is
pursuing blatantly anti-people, anti-workers and anti-national policies at the
cost of severely damaging the national economy and destroying its indigenous
productive and manufacturing capabilities. Such a regime must be defeated
squarely to force the pro-people changes in policies on all fronts. This united
platform of the working class resolves to heighten its struggle to that end.

The National Convention of
workers adopted the following programmes:

1. State level, district level and industry/sector level
joint conventions to be held during October/November 2018

The National
Convention called upon working people across the sectors and throughout the
country irrespective of affiliations, independent unions, federations,
associations to make the above programmes a total success.